Volunteer Surgical Program

Rosario Castro Talavera was born in Jinotega, Nicaragua. She is 54 years old; a wife and mother. Rosario has been a volunteer with Esperança’s Nicaraguan partner, AVODEC, on a few agricultural projects, but never had a need for our medical services until recently. Three years ago, she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and was just this month diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure that can lead to severe complications and increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and death). Rosario’s greatest challenge has been understanding the ailments and chronic illnesses that, as she just found out, have put her life at risk. Without intervention fro our team on the ground, Rosario’s life would surely have been at stake.

Rosario was so grateful for this opportunity to access quality healthcare from an organization that is already so immersed in her community. The medicine she needed was not available at her local health posts and she could not afford it, let alone journey to the nearest city for access. Rosario feels an overwhelming sense of relief knowing that she is receiving medicine to keep her stable.

Rosario had never received medical care from AVODEC/Esperança and is sincerely thankful for the team’s availability and commitment during her visits. If medication ever became unavailable, she was amazed that the staff would exceed her expectations and do everything in their power to find a solution. She feels truly grateful for everyone involved in this beautiful work.

All in all, our teams have made 14 trips to 13 communities, 6 of which included dental services from our newest team member, Dr. Reeder Lanzas. Since we first began our medical brigade program in Nicaragua this July, our team has provided 294 community members with medical services and 111 with dental work.